Magic Tree House #33 - Carnival at Candlelight (Four Stars)

Children's fiction
Carnival at Candlelight
Magic Tree House #33
Mary Pope Osborne
A Stepping Stone Book (Random House)
©2005
ISBN: 0-375-83034-0
106 pages

"History, mystery, and magic! Merlin has a new mission for Jack and Annie: save the Grand Lady of the Lagoon from a terrible disaster! To find her, they must travel back in time to Venice, Italy, on the night of Carnival. But before long, they find themselves thrown into a rat-infested dungeon! How will Jack and Annie save themselves and the Grand Lady, too? Does their new book of magic rhymes hold the key? Find out in Magic Tree House #33 Carnival at Candlelight."

This Magic Tree House story follows a new story line called the Merlin Missions. Merlin has sent two young sorcerers, Teddy and Kathleen, to Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, to give a mission to Jack and Annie. They are told they must save the Grand Lady of the Lagoon, and they are given a spell book of ten rhymes in order to help them. Jack and Annie are transported back in time to Venice, Italy. But their instructions are hard to follow, and a few wrong turns finds them in a dungeon! They escape and find a painter who will help them. They discover that the Grand Lady of the Lagoon is another name for Venice itself, which is about to be destroyed by a massive flood. They appeal to Neptune, the god of the sea, to help them save Venice.

Once again the research is impeccable. I learned a lot of things about Venice I never knew before. The children are wearing authentic costumes, and they visit places that are so richly described I could practically see them. The plot has enough twists and turns to keep a child wholly enthralled (adults, too, for that matter!). Magic, mystery, adventure, this book has it all! For anyone who wants to write for children, they should study these books carefully, for Mary Pope Osborne has perfected the formula.